Day 35. Life’s full of surprises and so are some saris. Like this one. When I borrowed it from my sister-in-law Sarmistha’s wardrobe a week ago, I thought it’s mustard – a colour I am not too fond of, specifically this shade. But I liked the bright magenta zari border which caught my eye peeking out of a pile of saris. Simple but gorgeous. Sarmistha had bought this sari from Bunkari India and she wears it with a magenta printed khadi blouse. I had to fish out this ancient blouse to go with the sari. But coming back to surprises. What would life be without them? A hint of sunshine on a cloudy day… a sudden glimpse of the mountains amid fog… a butterfly perching on your jeep in the forest… bumping into a friend at a mall or a puja pandal…. I love giving surprises, for that happy smile that lights up the face of my loved ones, for the laughter that rings in the air long after the surprise is over. And I love getting them too. So this morning I knew I was going to wear this dirty mustard (that’s my name for the shade) sari with magenta border. And then when I opened the sari, lo and behold the sari had just changed its colour! It was (and is) a shade of brown with shades of mustard and a lovely hint of magenta. A beautiful chiaroscuro of colours, magic woven with threads. I couldn’t help but smile at the happy discovery that had just brightened up my day. (The mustard is only the pallu or anchal.)
The earrings are a Maharashtrian pair Ma Jhulan Bhattacharya had brought me from Bombay once. It has a neckpiece with it but that would be dressy for work. The bangles are from Delhi, a gift from Achintyarup. Khopar kanta/jura pin in dokra, from Silence